Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Reduces Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,264 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 782 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.7% of Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $48,805,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of several research reports. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,005.83 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $954.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $908.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,009.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $446.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.06, a P/E/G ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.